Saturday, July 26, 2008

Last month I highlighted some IDT members who have chosen a "green" approach to making handcrafted home decor. As promised, this is Part II of that posting - more highlighting and praising the resourcefulness of these IDT artists!Many things confront an artist who is making an effort to use greener, more sustainable materials. Namely, the cost of using harder-to-find materials can stop you cold on the path to eco-friendly goods. Hopefully, these items will encourage the discouraged to look for resources that are green and affordable!!

First up is this gorgeous, handcrafted bench from Artistic Lifestyling. It is painted with non-toxic, biodegradable milk paints (milk paints are a personal favorite of mine). Be sure to have a look at the beautiful keeping chests from Artistic Lifestyling, as well! Note: Milk paints come in powder-form, which lasts longer than pre-mixed acrylic paint - mix as you go is a great way to save money and resources while using products that are friendly to the planet!

Jalex Studios has a lovely collection of upcycled vases and lamps that reuse / recycle such things as a computer hard drive (as in the case of this chic modern vase), window brackets, bamboo flooring and napkin rings! There are so many quality products that are discarded for obsolescence - hurray for the creative spirit that can give these items new life and new purpose!

I had to add this lovely lampshade, created from old slides, from honeysucklecreations. As a photographer, I understand the commitment involved in toting around boxes full of slides that I can neither use nor depart with. I have one of these lampshades in my bedroom and it is one of my favorite pieces of functional, recycled home decor!

I just found this plant table (ooh, ooh, the top turns for easy, even sunlight exposure!) from Turnadaisy. It is made from upcycled, recycled heavy oak and at $65 is precisely the "affordable green" I'm talking about!

Just in case you don't know what to do with all of those shot glasses you've collected during your travels but no longer drink out of because you can't bear the smell of bourbon... The folks at homeECOnomics knew just what they were doing when they whipped up these fully functional, recycled candholders - sweet!

You can also find unique handforged steel hooks, rings and towel bars for your bathroom from 18th generation master blacksmith, Smythe Boone, of Boones Hooks. Not only are they stunning, but they are made from 100% recycled steel!

Last but not least (and, really, I could go on and on and on here), is a lovely sunburst glass panel made from recycled glass by The Looking Glass to spice up your west-facing windows!

I've had such a blast searching out these eco-friendly designs and I hope you have as much fun checking out their stores for other enticing, earth friendly home decor!

Thank you for showing us some remarkable 'green' items that I never saw before. I never knew about the milk acrylics. I'm going to have to check that out sometime. I absolutely LOVE the plant stant, it's a beauty!

Thanks for your great comments. Milk paints are not acrylic-based (read: plastic, read: oil). They are casein based and are some of the longest lasting paints available! milkpaint.com is a great place to learn about and buy them!

The creativity is astounding! I especially think that lampshade made from old slides is fantastic. Lately I've been re-thinking ways to creative ways to recycle and this is great to see for inspiration. Great post! thank you!

Oh THANK YOU so much for featuring my recycled sunburst! I've got a BUNCH of items where I've used recycled glass and I LOVE using it. The eco-friendliness ADDS to the beauty of all of the items featured here. With MUCH gratitude, Laurie B.

Thanks again for all of the great comments and feedback. I've really enjoyed searching out these fantastic items and ideas and am happy to raise awareness about what some people are doing to recycle and to be more earth-friendly with their products!